


Cologne

by talkfastauburn



Series: you don’t have to disappear [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Death, M/M, Mourning, Sad, i suck at writing tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:21:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23841421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkfastauburn/pseuds/talkfastauburn
Summary: Ashton’s standing in an aisle in a store he doesn’t remember walking into, browsing the cologne, trying desperately to find the familiar scent he misses so dearly.or,In which Michael died, and Ashton is having trouble moving on.
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Ashton Irwin
Series: you don’t have to disappear [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720201
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Cologne

**Author's Note:**

> hi im back with yet another mashton story :))
> 
> bc im a Hoe for a good mashton story and i feel like its a very underrated ship. 
> 
> enjoy <3

Ashton doesn’t know why he’s here.

He’s standing in some sort of drug store he doesn’t remember walking into, testing scents of cologne.

To any other person, he just looks like a man trying to find a new kind, but he knows in his mind that no matter how much he tries to tell himself that he’s buying this cologne for him, that he’s actually trying desperately to find that oh-so-familiar scent he misses so much.

He’s smelled so many scents that they’re all kind of running together now and all that’s running through his mind is since when do these little drug stores carry 87 types of cologne?

He knows this is where Michael used to buy his. He knows that’s why he walked in without even realizing.

He knows it’s been two years since he walked into this store with Michael to buy a new bottle. 

He knows that that same bottle they purchased that day is now sitting on the bathroom shelf, empty. 

He knows what it looks like, knows the brand and the name of the scent. But he also knows that he doesn’t see it on the shelf anymore. He knows it’s not here, not even an empty spot where it might have sold out, but he still smells every single scent there just in case maybe the packaging changed.

But he knows the truth. It’s been discontinued.

He gets through the final bottle, smells the last one, and he feels the pounding in his head from the fumes and the ache in his heart as he realizes that he won’t find Michael’s favorite scent here.

He’s trying his best not to have an absolute nightmarish break down in the middle of this store when an employee comes up to him.

“Ash?” 

Ashton looks up, seeing none other than Calum standing there wearing his blue work vest and a name tag.

He sees the worry in his best friend’s eyes as he kneels down next to the older man.

“They don’t have it here, Cal.”

Calum looked confused for a moment, his heart breaking as he sees the bottle clutched tightly in Ashton’s hands. The wrong bottle. He knows what scent Ashton is looking for, he’d seen it on the bathroom of Ashton’s house and he’s watched the liquid slowly disappear over the past year.

He’s surprised it lasted this long.

“Oh, Ash,” he begins, pulling the small bottle from Ashton’s hands before he manages to smash the glass in his palm. “I’m sorry. We stopped selling it about four months ago. I’m so sorry.” 

Ashton’s heart, or what little bit that’s left of it, shattered yet again as he let out a sob, burying his face in Calum’s neck. 

“Cal, I’m out and his clothes don’t smell like him anymore and the bed is always cold and I still always make a cup of tea in the morning before I make my coffee because he hates coffee and I don’t know what to do. I miss him so much and it’s like he’s starting to disappear and I don’t want to lose what’s left of him.”

Through his little speech, he didn’t realize Calum pulling him up and to the back room of the store until Calum sat him down in a chair. 

Calum began going through boxes, and Ashton was confused.

“What are you doing?”

Calum didn’t say anything, just opened a new box and smiled as he pulled something out. 

Right there, in his hand, was a bottle of Michael’s cologne.

“I knew there was still a few bottles left back here. When they told us it was being discontinued we sold what was left on the shelf but never restocked it. So we still have some of them back here.”

Ashton immediately gripped the bottle and removed the cap, spraying it a little and crying as the scent filled his nose.

There it was, the smell of Michael.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, so much, Calum.” 

He knew he’d always miss the love of his life, but something as simple as being able to smell Michael’s cologne helped dull the ache he’s had in his heart for the past year and a half more than anything ever could. 

He knew that it would be hard to move on, but as long as he could keep it, he was going to cherish these small bottles more than anything in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> this was absolute shit i am So sorry . 
> 
> but if you want a part two, like a prologue about how Mikey died or anything, then just let me know and i’ll see what i can do :)


End file.
